Two motion safety lock for crib drop sides

ABSTRACT

In an infant&#39;&#39;s crib having a drop side and guide rods for the drop side with a notch in each rod, spring biassed pins on the drop side which snap into the notches to lock the drop side at a predetermined elevation, said pin being retractable only by digital engagement with a head on the pin and including means normally covering said head to a degree to require a primary motion of said covering means before the pin can be retracted.

United States Patent [1 1 [111 3,91 1,510 Bryant [45] Oct. 14, 1975 [54] TWO MOTION SAFETY LOCK FOR CRIB 3,300,795 1/1967 Siegel 5/100 DROP SIDES 3,468,169 9/ 1969 Welch 24/230 AL 3,765,064 10/1973 Hoober et a1. 24/230 AN Robert G. Bryant, Gardner, Mass.

GEM Industries, Inc., Gardner, Mass.

Fi1ed: June 13, 1974 Appl. No.: 479,029

Inventor:

Assignee:

US. Cl. 5/100; 5/11; 403/315 Int. Cl. A44B 17/60; A47D 9/00 Field of Search 5/11, 100; 403/315;

24/230 AL, 230 AM References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 7/1950 Neunherz 5/100 Primary ExaminerCasmir A. Nunberg Attorney, Agent, or FirmChar1es R. Fay

[ ABSIRACT In an infants crib having a drop side and guide rods for the drop side with a notch in each rod, spring biassed pins on the drop side which snap into the notches to lock the drop side at a predetermined elevation, said pin being retractable only by digital engagement with a head on the pin and including means normally covering said head to a degree to require a primary motion of said covering means before the pin can be retracted.

12 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures TWO MOTION SAFETY LOCK FOR CRIB DROP SIDES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Infants safety in cribs has been a matter of concern. In cribs having drop sides, it is all too frequently the case that the crip drop side is dropped accidentally.

Where a biassed pin engages a notch in the drop side guide rod, the occupant of the crib is in some cases able to withdraw the pin so as to let the drop side fall.

It is the object of the present invention to prevent the occupant from accidentally dislodging the pin.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An infants crib provided with the usual drop side which is slidable vertically on a pair of guide or slide rods mounted at the opposite ends of the crib as for instance on the comer posts, such drop side having rails provided with apertures receiving the rods and the rods thereby slidably guiding the drop side. Adjacent the upper end of each rod there is a notch and cooperating therewith are spring biassed pins on the drop side to snap into the notches to lock the drop side in its uppermost position. Each pin has a head or button on it and by pulling these against the action of the spring the drop side can be released and descend.

In the present invention there is provided a spring biassed pin which is slidably located in a fixed barrel on the drop side. Slidably mounted on the exterior of the barrel is a head or other safety means that is located thereon in such a way as to prevent retraction of said head or button unless and until said means is pushed forwardly along the barrel against the action of a spring on the barrel.

When the safety means is thus pushed forwardly along the barrel, the fingers may then have access to the underside of said button or head which being connected to the locking pin can retract the same from the notch in the crib slide rod to release the drop side. Thus there are two distinct and different motions necessary in order to release the drop side, it being extremely unlikely that the occupant of the crib could possibly achieve these two motions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view in front elevation illustrating the invention in place on a crib having a drop side;

FIG. 2 is a view in elevation on an enlarged scale illustrating the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a section on line 33 of FIG. 2, and

FIG. 4 is a view showing a modification of the mounting for the safety lock.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION The reference numerals and 12 indicate the corner posts of a more or less conventional crib which has a drop side generally indicated at 14 and having a top rail 16. There is also a similar bottom rail and both rails are provided with apertures in the usual manner in the ends thereof for sliding the drop side on slide or guide rods 18 and 20, these rods being secured in the usual manner at their top ends by fasteners in the comer posts, connecting with the bent portions 22, 22 of the rods. The lower end supports 24, 24 are conventional.

Secured to the lower surface of top rail 16 at each end thereof there is a bracket 26 and each bracket has a downturned portion 28. On downturned portion 28 there is affixed a barrel 30 having a coil spring thereabout at 32. A safety member 34 is slidable on the barrel against the action of spring 32 being shown in its normal position in FIG. 2 and in solid lines in FIG. 3. The safety member 34 may be pushed inwardly toward the crib by the fingers against the action of spring 32, and is preferably annular.

Inside the barrel 30 there is a slidable locking pin 36 spring biassed or pressed by a spring 38 located within the barrel 30 and attached to this pin there is an operating head 40 which is movable against the action of spring 38 from the solid line position in FIG. 3 to the dotted line position thereof. The drop side guide rod 18 is provided with a notch 42 and the pin 36 is biassed into locking position in this notch by its spring 38.

The safety member 34 is provided with a recess 44 which receives the peripheral edge of the head 40 and there is also an inner portion or shoulder 46 that abuts a cooperating shoulder 48 on fixed barrel 30 so that the safety member 34 cannot be pulled any further to the left than allowed by the shoulder 48. Therefore it is not possible to grasp the head 40 with the fingers in order to retract pin 36 as long as safety member 34 is in the position shown in solid lines in FIG. 3.

Therefore assuming that the crip drop side is in its uppermost position as shown in FIG. 1, it is not possible to retract locking pin 36 unless and until the safety member 34 is pushed forwardly to the right as shown in dotted lines, FIG. 3. This reveals and makes accessible the peripheral portion of the head 40 which can therefore be grasped and retracted to the dotted line position in FIG. 3 thereby retracting locking pin 36 from the notch 42 and allowing the crib drop side to descend. Upon release of the parts of course the spring 32 moves the safety member 34 to the left, back into the solid line position of FIG. 3, and the spring 38 moves the pin 36 and its attached head 40 to the right, also as shown in FIG. 3. It will therefore be seen that it requires two motions to release one of the locking pins 36, although it is possible to push the safety member 34 to the right in FIG. 3 and at the same time slide the tingers of the same hand in under the peripheral portion of the head 40 in order to retract it.

FIG. 4 shows a similar safety lock having a barrel 30 and spring 32' for drop side rod 52, this barrel being fixed to a bracket 54having lets 56, 56 apertured to receive rod 52, which has a notch 58 receiving pin 60 retractable by head 40 protected by safety member 34'. The legs 56, 56 embrace the rail 50 of the drop side but are not connected thereto, and pin 60 is always below the rail to engage notch 58 to lock the drop side in up position. The rail is bored to slidingly receive the drop rod 52, thus connecting the parts together without any fasteners.

I claim:

1. A crib having a drop side including a rail, and drop side guide rods therefor, a notch in a guide rod and a biassed pin on the drop side, the pin being biassed to enter the notch and lock the drop side in predetermined position against motion thereof on the guide rods, a barrel on the drop side, said pin being slidably located in said barrel, a head on the pin,

a safety member slidably mounted on the barrel, a spring constantly urging said safety member toward said head, and means on said safety member receiving certain portions of said head at least in part covering the same and preventing retraction of the head and therefore the pin from locking position with respect to said notch, whereby it is necessary to push the safety means in the direction toward the drop side to make accessible the head on the pin so that it can be engaged by the fingers and retracted.

2. The crib of claim 1 wherein the means on the safety member is formed by a recess receiving the peripheral portion of said head.

3. The crib of claim 2 including a bracket mounting the barrel, said bracket being in turn mounted on said drop side.

. 4. The crib of claim 3 wherein the bracket is fixed. 5. The crib of claim 3 wherein the bracket is mounted on the drop side rail.

6. The crib of claim 3 including an aperture in said bracket, the crip drop side rod extending through said aperture.

7. The crib of claim 1 including a notch in each of the guide rods and a biassed pin at each end of the drop side, each notch receiving a pin.

8. A crib comprising comer posts, drop side guide rods thereon, a drop side slidably mounted on the guide rods, a spring biassed pin on the drop side, a head on the pin, said pin being biassed to the respective guide rod and tending to ride on the same during motion of the drop side on the guide rods, means on the guide rod receiving the pin locking the drop side in predetermined position, said pin being retractable by the head to unlock the drop side,

and a safety member located to prevent access to said pin for withdrawing the same, said safety member being spring biassed away from the respective guide rod and being movable toward the guide rod to a position wherein the head of the pin can be grasped to retract the pin from its locking position. 9. The crib of claim 8 wherein the drop side includes a rail, the pin being mounted on the rail.

10. The crib of claim 9 including a bracket on the rail, the pin being mounted on the bracket.

11. The crib of claim 10 including means fixing the bracket to the rail.

12. The crib of claim 10 wherein the bracket is loosely mounted on the rail, and apertures in the bracket and rail receiving a drop side. 

1. A crib having a drop side including a rail, and drop side guide rods therefor, a notch in a guide rod and a biassed pin on the drop side, the pin being biassed to enter the notch and lock the drop side in predetermined position against motion thereof on the guide rods, a barrel on the drop side, said pin being slidably located in said barrel, a head on the pin, a safety member slidably mounted on the barrel, a spring constantly urging said safety member toward said head, and means on said safety member receiving certain portions of said head at least in part covering the same and preventing retraction of the head and therefore the pin from locking position with respect to said notch, whereby it is necessary to push the safety means in the direction toward the drop side to make accessible the head on the pin so that it can be engaged by the fingers and retracted.
 2. The crib of claim 1 wherein the means on the safety member is formed by a recess receiving the perIpheral portion of said head.
 3. The crib of claim 2 including a bracket mounting the barrel, said bracket being in turn mounted on said drop side.
 4. The crib of claim 3 wherein the bracket is fixed.
 5. The crib of claim 3 wherein the bracket is mounted on the drop side rail.
 6. The crib of claim 3 including an aperture in said bracket, the crip drop side rod extending through said aperture.
 7. The crib of claim 1 including a notch in each of the guide rods and a biassed pin at each end of the drop side, each notch receiving a pin.
 8. A crib comprising corner posts, drop side guide rods thereon, a drop side slidably mounted on the guide rods, a spring biassed pin on the drop side, a head on the pin, said pin being biassed to the respective guide rod and tending to ride on the same during motion of the drop side on the guide rods, means on the guide rod receiving the pin locking the drop side in predetermined position, said pin being retractable by the head to unlock the drop side, and a safety member located to prevent access to said pin for withdrawing the same, said safety member being spring biassed away from the respective guide rod and being movable toward the guide rod to a position wherein the head of the pin can be grasped to retract the pin from its locking position.
 9. The crib of claim 8 wherein the drop side includes a rail, the pin being mounted on the rail.
 10. The crib of claim 9 including a bracket on the rail, the pin being mounted on the bracket.
 11. The crib of claim 10 including means fixing the bracket to the rail.
 12. The crib of claim 10 wherein the bracket is loosely mounted on the rail, and apertures in the bracket and rail receiving a drop side. 